A former Ravens and University of Maryland large receiver apologized Thursday for Twitter feedback he made about Jewish folks and the rapper Ye after speaking with Baltimore City Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer concerning the affect of antisemitic tropes.
On Wednesday, two-time Super Bowl champion Torrey Smith referenced current antisemitic feedback about Jews made by the artist previously referred to as Kanye West which have led to corporations like Adidas canceling offers with him.
“Kanye never got canceled for saying all of the wild things he said about black folks because there aren’t many black people in powerful positions,” Smith, who’s Black, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. “He literally offended a group of people that do have power and influence in every space.”
Also on Twitter on Wednesday, Schleifer, who’s Jewish, referred to as Smith’s feedback “offensive and dangerous.” Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Patoka also took to Twitter to criticize Smith’s statements.
After saying in a video Wednesday night time that he wouldn’t apologize, Smith issued an apology on Twitter on Thursday afternoon following a prolonged dialogue with Schleifer.
“After talking to some of my friends and members of the Jewish community, I would like to apologize for the hurt that some people have experienced from my tweet,” Smith wrote. “I was speaking strictly about representation but recognize that my point falls in line with an antisemitic trope. I know what that means for the Jewish community during this time.”
Smith mentioned in an interview Thursday that he and Schleifer had “a really good conversation” about his feedback, which he mentioned he initially made after seeing others on Twitter questioning why Ye had not confronted related penalties for previous feedback about Black folks.
Asked about whether or not he believed his statements performed into antisemitic tropes, Smith mentioned, “My intentions no. But the people who were impacted said yes, so yes it does.”
Smith mentioned he could be cussed in the case of saying sorry, however that he considers himself an ally to the Jewish neighborhood.
“When you put a target on especially the Jewish community that can be dangerous. Through dialogue and conversations you can learn that,” Smith mentioned. “The African American and Jewish community are more linked together in their struggles than anything else.”
Smith performed for the Ravens from 2011 to 2014 and retired from the NFL in 2019.
Schleifer mentioned in an interview that the telephone name with Smith allowed each males to share how their backgrounds knowledgeable their views.
He mentioned he instructed Smith that FBI crime information exhibits that greater than 50% of religiously motivated hate crimes within the U.S. had been dedicated towards Jews in 2020, regardless of Jews making up simply over 2% of the inhabitants.
Thursday marked 4 years because the taking pictures that killed 11 folks on the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue, an anniversary that Schleifer mentioned underscores how hateful speech from folks like Ye with giant platforms might encourage copycats to hold out violence towards Jewish folks.
“You have someone who’s a Super Bowl-winning football player and a large celebrity in our city who is willing to take the time to listen to what a local person has to say about how something has impacted them and their community,” Schleifer mentioned, calling Smith an excellent one who cares about inclusion.
“Twitter is not real life. A lot gets lost when you’re having conversations on Twitter,” Schleifer mentioned. “His willingness to apologize and learn from the mistake should really be the message that we take away.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com